I Am Legend (film)
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Francis Lawrence
Produced by	Akiva Goldsman David Heyman Erwin Stoff Neal H. Mortiz
Written by	Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman Mark Protosevich Novel: Richard Matheson
Starring	Will Smith
Music by	James Newton Howard
Cinematography	Andrew Lesnie
Editing by	Wayne Wahrman
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Village Roadshow
Release date(s)	December 14, 2007
Running time	Theatrical Cut: 100 min. Alternate Cut: 104 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million (est.)
Gross revenue	$584,015,483
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

I Am Legend is a 2007 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man.^[1] Smith plays virologist Robert Neville, who is immune to a vicious man-made virus originally created to cure cancer. He works to create a cure while living in Manhattan in 2012, a city inhabited by animalistic victims of the virus. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 405 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (510 × 755 pixel, file size: 54 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) // The publicly released teaser poster for I Am Legend (2007). ... Francis Lawrence (born in Vienna) is a popular music video director, having worked for stars like Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Destinys Child, Garbage and Missy Elliot. ... Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor in the motion picture industry. ... David Heyman is a British film producer born in London, England in 1961. ... Erwin Stoff (b. ... Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor in the motion picture industry. ... Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... This article is about James Howard, the composer. ... Andrew Lesnie (born 1956) is an Australian cinematographer. ... Sometimes Credited as Wayne P. Wahrman / Wayne R. Wahrman [1] (As Editor) Some of his well known films include: Charlies Angels (2000),The Time Machine (2002), Charlies Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Constantine (2005), All the Kings Men (2006)[2] ... “WB” redirects here. ... This article is about the Australian media company. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... USD redirects here. ... 2007 has been referred to, by film and media critics, as the year of the threequels, a nickname referring to both the 2004 summer movie season and several film franchises which premiered or had installments released in 2004, which appear again this year: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Ocean... Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction (or, in some cases, the more general category speculative fiction) that is concerned with the end of civilization through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. ... Science fiction film is a film genre that uses speculative, science-based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial lifeforms, alien worlds, and time travel, often along with technological elements such as futuristic spacecraft, robots, or other technologies. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Francis Lawrence (born in Vienna) is a popular music video director, having worked for stars like Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Destinys Child, Garbage and Missy Elliot. ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... This article is about Richard Mathesons novel. ... The Last Man on Earth (originally titled LUltimo uomo della Terra) is a 1964 film based upon the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend. ... The Omega Man is a 1971 science fiction thriller starring Charlton Heston. ... Virology, often considered a part of microbiology or of pathology, is the study of organic viruses: their structure and classification, their ways to infect and exploit cells to reproduce and cause disease, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their potential uses in research and therapy. ... This article is about biological infectious particles. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

Warner Bros. Pictures began developing I Am Legend in 1994, and various actors and directors were attached to the project, though production was delayed due to budgetary concerns related to the script. Production began in 2006 in New York City, filming mainly on location in the city, including a $5 million scene^[2] at the Brooklyn Bridge, the most expensive scene ever filmed in the city at the time. Warner Bros. launched a tie-in comic and an online multiplayer game on Second Life as part of its marketing campaign. I Am Legend was released on December 14, 2007 in the United States. It opened to the largest ever box office for a non-Christmas film released in the U.S. during December. The film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood."^[3] Warner Bros. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Brooklyn Bridge (disambiguation). ... Second Life (abbreviated as SL) is an Internet-based virtual world launched in 2003, developed by Linden Research, Inc (commonly referred to as Linden Lab), which came to international attention via mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The term box office can refer to either: A place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue The amount of business a particular production, such as a movie or theatre show, does. ...

[edit] Plot

After the spread of a lethal virus, U.S. Army virologist Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville (Will Smith) is left as the last healthy human in New York City, and possibly the entire world. The United States Army is the largest, and by some standards oldest, established branch of the armed forces of the United States and is one of seven uniformed services. ... Virology is the study of viruses and their properties. ... Lieutenant Colonel is a rank of the United States armed forces which is currently used by the United States Army, United States Air Force, United States Marine Corps, and United States National Guard. ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

The story opens in 2012, as a series of flashbacks and recorded news programs reveal that three years earlier a genetically re-engineered measles virus, known as the KV virus, was originally created as a cure for cancer, mutated into a lethal strain, similar to rabies, which rapidly infected humans and some animal species. By the end of the first year following the infection, more than 90% of the planet's human population died; over 9% were infected, but did not die. These survivors degenerated into a primal, aggressive state, lost all their hair and began to react painfully to UV radiation, forcing them to hide in buildings and other dark places during the day. The remaining 1% were immune to the virus, but were hunted and killed by the infected, killed by fellow survivors or committed suicide due to isolation. Three years after the outbreak, Robert Neville fears he may be the last healthy human in the world. Elements of genetic engineering For a non-technical introduction to the topic, see Introduction to Genetics. ... Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ...

In a Manhattan devoid of humanity, Neville's daily routine includes experimentation to find a cure for the virus on both infected rats and humans, and trips through the city to hunt for food and forage for supplies. He waits each day for a response to his automated, continuous radio broadcasts, which instruct any uninfected survivors to meet him at midday at the South Street Seaport. Flashbacks reveal that his wife and daughter died during the chaotic evacuation of Manhattan, just prior to the militarily-enforced quarantine of the island on Christmas Eve 2009. As his wife and daughter's helicopter takes off, another helicopter nearby is attacked by infected, causing it to collide with Neville's wife and daughter's helicopter. Neville's isolation is broken only by the companionship of his dog Samantha ("Sam"), interaction with mannequins he has set up as patrons of a video store, and recordings of old news and entertainment broadcasts. This article is about the borough of New York City. ... A view of the South Street Seaport in New York with the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Neville seems to find a promising treatment derived from his own blood when one of the rats he is experimenting on begins to regain normal appearance and behaviour, so he sets a snare trap and captures an infected woman while an infected male watches from within a building, unable to enter the sunlight of the day. At his laboratory, located in the basement of his heavily-fortified home, Neville treats the infected woman without success. Later, while driving through New York, he notices one of the mannequins has been moved. When he inspects it, he is ensnared in a trap similar to the one he used to capture the woman. By the time Neville escapes, it is near dark and he is attacked by infected dogs (released by the infected Alpha Male), one of which bites Sam. Although Sam is unaffected by the airborne strain of the virus, she can still be infected by the contact strain. Bird trapping, tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) The activity of animal trapping has two separate but related meanings. ...

Neville takes Sam home and injects her with a serum, in the hope of saving her, but when she shows signs of infection and tries to attack him, Neville, distraught with grief, strangles Sam, euthanizing her. He buries her the next day. The same night, overcome with grief and anger, he goes out and attacks a large group of infected with his SUV. Despite inflicting severe casualties on the infected, he is nearly killed, but is rescued by a pair of immune survivors, Anna Montez (Alice Braga) and a young boy named Ethan (Charlie Tahan), who have traveled from Maryland after hearing one of Neville's broadcasts. They take the injured Neville back to his home where Anna explains that they survived the outbreak aboard a Red Cross evacuation ship from São Paulo and are making their way to a rumored survivors' camp in Bethel, Vermont. Initially dismissive of Anna, Robert begins to warm to her as he remembers how to interact with humans. Euthanasia (from Greek: ευθανασία - ευ good, θανατος death) refers to assisted dying. ... The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV built by the Ford Motor Company. ... Alice Braga (b. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the city. ... Bethel, Vermont Bethel is a town located in Windsor County, Vermont. ...

The next night a group of infected—who have followed Anna and Neville and are led by the Alpha Male—attack the house and overrun its defenses. Neville, Anna, and Ethan retreat into the basement laboratory, sealing themselves in with the infected woman Neville has been treating. Discovering that the last treatment has been successful and the infected woman is once again human, Neville draws a vial of the woman's blood and gives it to Anna. He pushes Anna and Ethan into an old coal chute, and then sacrifices himself to save their lives, using a concussion grenade to kill himself and splattering his blood all over the infected humans. Neville did this knowing that the dark seeker's metabolism was strong enough to survive the grenade explosion and that is splattered blood would cure all of the infected in the laboratory. The LXR-6 is a concussion grenade used by the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire, the Confederacy of Independent Systems (Separatists) and the Grand Army of the Republic (Clone Troopers). ...

Anna and Ethan escape to Vermont, and locate the survivors' colony, where Anna hands over the cure. In the closing voice-over, she states that Neville's cure enabled humanity to survive and rebuild, establishing his legend. This article is about the U.S. state. ...

[edit] Alternate ending

The tone of the film's ending was altered dramatically before the film's release, with the majority of the changes made to the standoff between Neville and the infected survivors in his laboratory. Visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs recounts the original ending starting with the standoff: "At that point, Neville's—and the audience's—assumptions about the nature of these creatures are shown to be incorrect. We see that they have actually retained some of their humanity. There is a very important moment between the Alpha Male and Neville." David Schaub stated, "Then, when Neville finally turns the Alpha Female over to the Alpha Male, there is this little love moment between the two of them." The infected then retrieve the captured female and spare Neville's life. He then looks at the photos of the infected he has experimented on and killed and realizes that he is the monster. The infected think of him as someone who hunts down their people and kill them. The original final shot follows Neville, Anna and Ethan as they cross the remnants of the George Washington Bridge in hopes of finding other survivors, accompanied by a recording from Anna telling survivors that there is hope.^{[citation needed]} For the bridge in New York that crosses the Harlem River, see Washington Bridge. ...

[edit] Production

[edit] Development

The early 1990s brought a reemergence of the science fiction horror genre.^[4] In 1995, Warner Bros. began developing the film project, having owned the rights to Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend since 1970^[5] and The Omega Man (1970). Mark Protosevich was hired to write the script after the studio was impressed with his spec script of The Cell (2000). Protosevich's first draft took place in the year 2000 in San Francisco, California, and contained many similarities with the finished film, though Ann was a morphine addict. Warner Bros. immediately put the film on fast track, attaching Neal H. Mortiz as producer.^[4] Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... “Horror story” redirects here. ... “WB” redirects here. ... Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... This article is about Richard Mathesons novel. ... The Omega Man is a 1971 science fiction thriller starring Charlton Heston. ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... The Cell is a 2000 suspense film written by Mark Protosevich and directed by Tarsem Singh. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... This article is about the drug. ... This article is about the concept of addiction. ... Fast track gives the President of the United States authority to negotiate trade agreements that cannot be amended by Congress, only voted on yes or no. ... A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ...

Actors Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas,^[6] Mel Gibson^[4] had been considered to star in the film,^[6] using a script by Protosevich and with Ridley Scott as director; however, by June 1997 the studio's preference was for actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in July, Scott and Schwarzenegger finalized negotiations,^[7] with production slated to begin the coming September,^[6] using Houston as a stand-in for the film's setting of Los Angeles.^[8] In December 1997, the project was called into question when the projected budget escalated to $108 million due to media and shareholder scrutiny of the studio in financing a big-budget film.^[9] Scott rewrote the script in an attempt to reduce the film's budget by $20 million,^[10] but in March 1998, the studio canceled the project due to continued budgetary concerns.^[11] In August 1998, director Rob Bowman was attached to the project,^[12] but he moved on to direct Reign of Fire.^[13] Tom Cruise (born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV on July 3, 1962) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and film producer. ... For other people bearing this name, see Michael Douglas (disambiguation) Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. ... Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3, 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American-Australian actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, South Tyneside) is a British film director and producer. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German IPA: ; born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, Golden Globe-winning actor, businessman and politician currently serving as the 38th Governor of the U.S. state of California. ... Houston redirects here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Rob S. Bowman (Born: May 15, 1960 in Wichita County, Texas, USA) is an American prolific filmmaker most notable for his work on sci-fi series such as The X-Files and Star Trek. ... Reign of Fire is a 2002 action/science fiction film directed by Rob Bowman and starring Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, and Gerard Butler. ...

In March 2002, Schwarzenegger became the producer of I Am Legend, commencing negotiations with Michael Bay to direct and Will Smith to star in the film.^[14] Bay and Smith were attracted to the project based on a redraft that would reduce its budget.^[15] However, the project was shelved due to Warner Bros. president, Alan F. Horn's dislike of the script.^[16] In 2004, Akiva Goldsman was asked by head of production Jeff Robinov to produce the film.^[17] In September 2005, director Francis Lawrence signed on to helm the project, with production slated to begin in 2006. Guillermo del Toro was originally approached to direct by Smith but turned it down in order to direct Hellboy II: The Golden Army.^[18] Lawrence, whose film Constantine was produced by Goldsman, was fascinated by empty urban environments. He said, "Something’s always really excited me about that... to have experienced that much loss, to be without people or any kind of social interaction for that long."^[17] Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. ... “W. S.” redirects here. ... Alan Horn is the President & COO of Warner Bros. ... Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor in the motion picture industry. ... Francis Lawrence (born in Vienna) is a popular music video director, having worked for stars like Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Destinys Child, Garbage and Missy Elliot. ... Guillermo del Toro Gómez (born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco) is an Academy Award-nominated Mexican film director. ... Constantine is a 2005 American film loosely based on the Hellblazer comic book, with some plot elements being taken from the Dangerous Habits arc (issues #41-46). ...

Goldsman took on the project as he admired the second I Am Legend film adaptation, The Omega Man.^[19] A rewrite was done to distance the project from the other zombie films inspired by the novel,^[14] particularly 28 Days Later.^[19] A forty-page scene-by-scene outline of the film was developed by May 2006. When delays occurred on Will Smith's film Hancock (2008), which was scheduled for 2007, it was proposed to switch the actor's films. This meant filming would have to begin in sixteen weeks: production was greenlit, using Goldsman's script and the outline.^[17] Elements from Protosevich's script were introduced, while the crew consulted with experts on infectious diseases and solitary confinement.^[19] Rewrites continued throughout filming, because of Smith's improvisational skills and Lawrence's preference to keep various scenes silent.^[17] The director had watched The Pianist with a low volume so as to not disturb his newborn son, and realized that silence could be very effective cinema.^[20] The Omega Man is a 1971 science fiction thriller starring Charlton Heston. ... This article is about the living dead. ... 28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic science fiction horror film directed by Danny Boyle and starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris and Christopher Eccleston. ... Hancock is an upcoming comedy superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron. ... Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to as the hole (or in British English the block), is a punishment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding guards, chaplains and doctors. ... The Pianist is a 2002 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody. ...

[edit] Casting

Will Smith signed on to play Robert Neville in April 2006.^[21] He said he took on I Am Legend because he felt it could be like "Gladiator [or] Forrest Gump—these are movies with wonderful, audience-pleasing elements but also uncompromised artistic value. [This] always felt like it had those possibilities to me."^[19] The actor found Neville to be his toughest acting challenge since portraying Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001). He said that "when you're on your own, it is kind of hard to find conflict." The film's dark tone and exploration of whether Neville has gone insane during his isolation meant Smith had to restrain himself from falling into a humorous routine during takes.^[22] To prepare for his role, Smith visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Georgia. He also met with a person who had been in solitary confinement and a former prisoner of war.^[23] Smith compared Neville to Job, who lost his children, livelihood and health. Like the Book of Job, I Am Legend studies the questions, "Can he find a reason to continue? Can he find the hope or desire to excel and advance in life? Or does the death of everything around him create imminent death for himself?"^[14] He also cited an influence in Tom Hanks' performance in Cast Away (2000).^[19] This article is about the 2000 film. ... For other uses, see Forrest Gump (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... Ali is an Academy Award-nominated 2001 biographical film which tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, is recognized as the leading United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... William Blakes imagining of Satan inflicting boils on Job. ... The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ... Thomas Jeffrey Tom Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American film actor, director, voice-over artist, writer and film producer. ... For other uses, see Castaway (disambiguation). ...

Abbey, a three-year-old German Shepherd Dog, played Neville's dog Sam. Another dog, Kona, was used for scenes where Neville plays fetch with his companion, as Abbey refused to perform these scenes.^[24] The rest of the supporting cast consists of Salli Richardson as Zoe, Robert's wife,^[25] and Alice Braga as a survivor named Anna.^[25] Willow Smith, Will Smith's daughter, makes her film debut as Marley, Neville's daughter.^[26] Emma Thompson has an uncredited role as Dr. Alice Krippin, who appears on television explaining her vaccine for cancer that mutates into the virus.^[27] Singer Mike Patton provided the guttural screams of the infected "hemocytes," and Dash Mihok provided the character animation for the "Alpha Male" infected. The German Shepherd Dog, sometimes known as the Alsatian (in Queens, the US and Ireland, out of Anti-German sentiment during WWI) or more commonly in France Berger Allemand, Schäferhund (in other parts of Europe) and by the acronym GSD or simply German Shepherd, is a breed of dog... Fetch is a game usually played with a dog. ... Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield (born November 23, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American movie actress. ... Alice Braga (b. ... Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is an Emmy-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-winning English actress, comedian, and screenwriter. ... Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Faith No More from 1988 to 1998. ... Dash Mihok (born May 24, 1974 in New York City, New York, USA) is an American actor. ...

[edit] Filming

The Brooklyn Bridge served as a location in I Am Legend, at which there was a $5 million scene filmed, the most expensive scene to date in New York City.

Akiva Goldsman decided to move the story from Los Angeles to New York City to take advantage of locations that would more easily show emptiness.^[5] Goldsman explained, "L.A. looks empty at three o'clock in the afternoon, [but] New York is never empty . . . it was a much more interesting way of showing the windswept emptiness of the world."^[22] Warner Bros. initially rejected this idea because of the logistics,^[17] but Francis Lawrence was determined to shoot on location, to give the film a natural feel that would not benefit from shooting on soundstages. Lawrence went to the city with a camcorder, and filmed areas filled with crowds. Then, a special effects test was conducted to remove all those people. The test had a powerful effect on studio executives.^[20] Michael Tadross convinced authorities to close busy areas such as the Grand Central Terminal viaduct, several blocks of Fifth Avenue and Washington Square Park.^[17] The film was shot primarily in 35mm anamorphic format, with flashback scenes shot in Super 35.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1,014 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographer: Simone Roda from Italia Title: Brooklyn Bridge - New York City Taken on: 2004-10-05 22:35:28 Original source: Flickr. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 1,014 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographer: Simone Roda from Italia Title: Brooklyn Bridge - New York City Taken on: 2004-10-05 22:35:28 Original source: Flickr. ... For other uses, see Brooklyn Bridge (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sony DV Handycam A camcorder is a portable electronic device for recording video images and audio onto an internal storage device. ... The main concourse Grand Central Terminal (GCT, often unofficially called Grand Central Station) is a terminal rail station at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue (42nd Street and Park Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. ... Street sign at Fifth Avenue and East 57th street Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in New York City. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Washington Square North. ... Anamorphic format is a term which can be used either for the cinematography technique of capturing a widescreen picture on standard 35 mm film, or other visual recording media with a non-widescreen native aspect ratio, or a photographic projection format in which the original image requires an optical anamorphic... Super 35 is a motion picture film format that uses exactly the same 35 mm film stock as standard 35mm, but puts a larger image frame on that stock. ...

Filming began on September 23, 2006.^[28] The Marcy Avenue Armory in Williamsburg was used for the interior of Neville's home,^[22] while Greenwich Village was used for the exterior.^[14] Other locations include the Tribeca section of Lower Manhattan, the aircraft carrier Intrepid, the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx and St. Patrick's Cathedral.^[5] Weeds were imported from Florida and were strewn across locations to make the city look like it had overgrown with them.^[17] The closure of major streets was controversial with New Yorkers. Will Smith said, "I don't think anyone's going to be able to do that in New York again any time soon. People were not happy. That's the most middle fingers I've ever gotten in my career."^[14] is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ... This article is about the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...

A bridge scene was filmed for six consecutive nights in January on the Brooklyn Bridge to serve as a flashback scene in which New York's citizens evacuate the city. Shooting the scene consumed $5 million of the film's reported $150 million budget, which was the most expensive shot in the city to date. The scene, which had to meet requirements from fourteen government agencies, involved 250 crew members and 1,000 extras, including 160 National Guard members.^[29][30] Also present were several Humvees, three Stryker armored vehicles, a 110-foot cutter, a 41-foot utility boat, and two 25-foot Response Boat Small craft, as well as other vehicles including taxis, police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.^[31] Filming concluded on March 31, 2007.^[28] For other uses, see Brooklyn Bridge (disambiguation). ... This article refers to the Military HMMWV, not the civilian Hummer sold by General Motors The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a military 4WD motor vehicle created by AM General. ... For other uses, see Stryker (disambiguation). ... A Cutter is a United States Coast Guard vessel 65 feet in length or greater, having adequate accommodations for crew to live on board. ... A USCG 41 ft (12 m) UTB underway. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Reshoots were conducted around November 2007. Lawrence noted, "We weren't seeing fully-rendered shots until about a month ago. The movie starts to take on a whole other life. It's not only until later that you can judge a movie as a whole and go, 'Huh, maybe we should shoot this little piece in the middle, or tweak this a little bit.' It just so happened that our re-shoots revolved around the end of the movie."^[32]

[edit] Effects

A week into filming, Francis Lawrence felt the infected (referred to as "Dark Seekers" or "hemocytes" in the script), who were being portrayed by actors wearing prosthetics, were not convincing. His decision to use computer-generated imagery (CGI) resulted in an increased budget and extended post-production, and the end results were poorly received.^[33][34][35] The concept behind the infected was that their adrenal glands were open all of the time and Lawrence explained, "They needed to have an abandon in their performance that you just can’t get out of people in the middle of the night when they’re barefoot. And their metabolisms are really spiked, so they’re constantly hyperventilating, which you can’t really get actors to do for a long time or they pass out."^[17] The actors remained on set to provide motion capture.^[22] "The film's producers and sound people wanted the creatures in the movie to sound somewhat human, but not the standard," so Mike Patton, former lead singer of Faith No More, was engaged to provide the screams and howls of the infected.^[36] Computer-generated imagery[1] (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... In mammals, the adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys; their name indicates that position (ad-, near or at + -renes, kidneys). They are chiefly responsible for regulating the stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamines... Walking barefoot Going barefoot means not wearing shoes, socks, or other foot covering. ... In medicine, hyperventilation is the state of breathing faster or deeper than necessary, and thereby reducing the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood below normal. ... Motion capture, or mocap, is a technique of digitally recording the movements of real things — usually humans — it originally developed as an analysis tool in biomechanics research, but has grown increasingly important as a source of motion data for computer animation. ... Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Faith No More from 1988 to 1998. ... FNM redirects here. ...

In addition, CGI was used for the lions and deer in the film, and to erase pedestrians in shots of New York. Workers visible in windows, spectators and moving cars in the distance were all removed. In his vision of an empty New York, Lawrence cited John Ford as his influence: "We didn't want to make an apocalyptic movie where the landscape felt apocalyptic. A lot of the movie takes place on a beautiful day. There's something magical about the empty city as opposed to dark and scary that was the ideal that the cast and crew wanted"^[19] For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ... This article is about the ruminant animal. ... For other persons named John Ford, see John Ford (disambiguation). ...

[edit] Release

I Am Legend was originally slated for a November 21, 2007 release in the United States and Canada,^[37] but was delayed to December 14, 2007.^[38] The film opened on December 26, 2007 in the United Kingdom,^[39] and the Republic of Ireland having been originally scheduled for January 4, 2008.^[22] is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini/Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

In December 2007, China banned the release of American films in the country,^[40] which is believed to have delayed the release of I Am Legend. Will Smith spoke to the chairman of China Film Group about securing a release date, later explaining, "We struggled very, very hard to try to get it to work out, but there are only a certain amount of foreign films that are allowed in."^[23]

[edit] Marketing

A tie-in comic from DC Comics and Vertigo Comics has been created, I Am Legend: Awakening.^[41] The project draws upon collaboration from Bill Sienkiewicz, screenwriter Mark Protosevich, and author Orson Scott Card. The son of the original book's author, Richard Christian Matheson, also collaborated on the project. The project will advance from the comic to an online format in which animated featurettes (created by the team from Broken Saints) will be shown on the official website. ^[42] DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Vertigo logo Vertigo is an imprint of comic book and graphic novel publisher DC Comics. ... Bill Sienkiewicz in Gijón, Spain. ... Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951)[1] is a bestselling American author, as well as being a critic, political writer, and speaker. ... The case of the FOX Home Video Special DVD edition of Broken Saints Broken Saints is an award winning, partially animated, Flash animated film series by Brooke Burgess, Ian Kirby and Andrew West. ...

In October 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures in conjunction with the Electric Sheep Company launched the online multiplayer game I Am Legend: Survival in the virtual world Second Life. The game is the largest launched in the virtual world in support of a film release, permitting people to play against each other as the infected or the uninfected across a replicated 60 acres of New York City.^[43] The studio also hired the ad agency Crew Creative to develop a website that would be specifically viewable on the iPhone.^[44] Second Life (abbreviated as SL) is an Internet-based virtual world launched in 2003, developed by Linden Research, Inc (commonly referred to as Linden Lab), which came to international attention via mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007. ... For the Internet appliance line, see Linksys iPhone. ...

[edit] Box office

I Am Legend grossed $77,211,321 on its opening weekend in 3,606 theaters, averaging $21,412 per venue, and placing it at the top of the box office. This set a record for highest grossing opening for a film for the month of December.^[45] As of May 11, 2008, the film has grossed $256,393,010 in North America and $584,015,483 worldwide.^[46] is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini/Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

[edit] US Home Video Market

The film was released on DVD on March 18, 2008 in two editions: a one-disc release, including the movie with four animated comics ("Death As a Gift", "Isolation", "Sacrificing the Few for the Many", and "Shelter"), and other DVD-ROM features; a two-disc special edition that includes all these extras and an alternative theatrical version of the movie with an alternate ending. On the high-definition end, the movie has been released on the Blu-ray Disc format and HD DVD format along with the DVD release; with the HD-DVD version being released later on April 8, 2008.^[47] Both HD releases include all the features available in the two-disc DVD edition.^[48] The two-disc version is also available in a steel case, which contains evacuation protocol information on the back side. is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini/Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Blu-ray Disc (also known as Blu-ray or BD) is an optical disc storage media format. ... HD-DVD disc HD DVD (for High Density Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical media format which is being developed as one standard for high-definition DVD. HD DVD is similar to the competing Blu-ray Disc, which also uses the same CD sized (120 mm diameter) optical data... is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini/Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

According to the-numbers.com, the film has sold 5.8 million DVD's and earned $107.9 million in revenue after twelve weeks, making it the top-selling DVD of 2008 so far.[1] However, Warner Bros was reportedly "a little disappointed" with the film's performance on the DVD market.^[49]

[edit] Critical reception and awards

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Most critics were favourable towards the film.^[50] Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 68% of 183 critics gave the film positive write-ups. The consensus among favorable reviews was that Will Smith's performance overcame questionable special effects.^[51] Similarly, Metacritic determined that the film had received an average score of 65 out of 100 based on 37 reviews.^[50] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Metacritic is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and books. ...

A. O. Scott felt that Will Smith gave a "graceful and effortless performance" and also noted the "third-act collapse". He felt that the movie "does ponder some pretty deep questions about the collapse and persistence of human civilization".^[52] Dana Stevens of Slate felt that the movie lost its way around the hour mark, noting that "the Infected just aren't that scary."^[27] NPR critic Bob Mondello noted the film's subtext concerning global terrorism and that this aspect made the film fit in perfectly with other, more direct cinematic explorations of the subject.^[53] Richard Roeper gave the film a positive review on the television program At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, commending Will Smith as being in "prime form", also saying there are "some amazing sequences" and that there was "a pretty heavy screenplay for an action film."^[54] On the negative side, the film has been criticized for diverging too far from Matheson's novel, especially in its portrayal of a specifically Christian theme.^[55] Much of the negative criticism has concerned the use of CGI effects, which many critics have labeled as excessive and unrealistic, as well as an unsatisfactory third act.^[33][34][35] Anthony O. Tony Scott (born July 10, 1966) is a Jewish (1) film critic for The New York Times newspaper. ... In theater, an act (noun) is a short performance that is part of a longer program. ... For other uses, see Slate (disambiguation). ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... Richard Roeper (born October 17, 1959)[1] is a columnist/film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, since September of 2000, has co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper with fellow film critic Roger Ebert. ... At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper is a movie review television program featuring film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. ... Matheson may refer to: Matheson, Ontario, a town in Canada Matheson (surname), people with the surname Matheson Matheson & Co. ... Computer-generated imagery[1] (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ... In theater, an act (noun) is a short performance that is part of a longer program. ...

Popular Mechanics published an article on December 14, 2007 ^[56] addressing some of the scientific issues raised by the film: The adolescent Internet. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

1. the rate of deterioration of urban structures, infrastructure, and survival of fauna and flora
2. the plausibility of a retrovirus spreading out of control as depicted in the film. (The measles virus depicted in the film, however, is not a retrovirus, but is in fact a part of the Paramyxovirus family.)
3. the mechanics of the Brooklyn Bridge's destruction

The magazine solicited reactions from author Alan Weisman, virologist W. Ian Lipkin, M.D., and Michel Bruneau, Ph.D., comparing their predictions with the film's depictions. The article raised the most questions regarding the virus' mutation and the medical results, and pointed out that a suspension bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge would likely completely collapse rather than losing only its middle span. Neville's method of producing power using gasoline-powered generators seemed the most credible: "This part of the tale is possible, if not entirely likely," Popular Mechanics editor Roy Berendsohn says. Genera Subfamily: Orthoretrovirinae Alpharetrovirus Betaretrovirus Gammaretrovirus Deltaretrovirus Epsilonretrovirus Lentivirus Subfamily: Spumaretrovirinae Spumavirus A retrovirus is any virus belonging to the viral family Retroviridae. ... Genera See text Paramyxoviruses are viruses of the Paramyxoviridae family of the Mononegavirales order; they are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses responsible for a number of human and animal diseases. ... Alan Weisman is an American author, professor, and journalist. ... Doctor of Medicine (M.D. or MD, from the Latin Medicinae Doctor meaning Teacher of Medicine,) is an academic degree for medical doctors. ... Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph. ... A suspension bridge is a type of bridge where the main load-bearing elements are hung from suspension cables. ...

I Am Legend earned four nominations for the Visual Effects Society Awards,^[57] and was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards,^[58] Outstanding Film and Actor at the Image Awards,^[59] and Best Sound at the Satellite Awards.^[60] The Visual Effects Society (VES) is the entertainment industrys only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. ... The Actor: The Screen Actors Guild Award Statue The Screen Actors Guild Awards are an annual award given by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) to recognize outstanding performances by members. ... The NAACP Image Award is an award presented annually by the NAACP to honor the top African-Americans in film, television, music and literature. ... The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. ...

[edit] Bibliography

• I Am Legend, Richard Matheson, Tor Books; Reissue edition (October 30, 2007), ISBN 0765318741

Richard Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror, or science fiction. ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

[edit] References